British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification was actually the world's first organization to establish a rating system for movies, more than a hundred years ago. Changes were made to the rating system over the years, including adding a minimum age limit of 16 to some films. 1970-1982 These were the first changes made to the BBFC certificates after the Motion Picture Association of America established its own rating system. *'U' - Universal; suitable for children (equivalent to "G"). This was one of the two original ratings since the beginning of time. **All films classified as "U" are usually either rated G or PG by the MPAA. *'A' - Advisory; no children under 5 admitted, not recommended for children under 14 (similar to "PG") **Most films classified as "A" were usually rated GP/PG by the MPAA during these years. **The last G rated film classified as "A" was Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, when it was released on July 13, 1975. **Originally, the A rating meant that children must be accompanied by an adult. *'AA' - No children under 14 admitted (similar to "R") **Most films classified as "AA" were usually rated PG or R by the MPAA, except in the U.S., the minimum age limit is higher by three years. *'X '- No one under 18 admitted (equivalent to "X") **Most films classified as "X" were usually rated R by the MPAA. **The last PG rated American film classified as "X" in the UK was Harlequin, which was released in 1979. 1982-1989 Two years before the PG-13 rating was introduced in the United States, the British film certificates were revised. *'U '- Universal; suitable for all **Some to most "U" films may recommend caution if viewed by young children. Equivalent to the U.S. "G" rating. *'PG '- Parental Guidance; some scenes may be unsuitable for young children **Equivalent to the U.S. "PG" rating, and from 1984 to 1994, also similar to the U.S. "PG-13" rating, until the "12" rating was introduced. **Most films originally rated "A" were given this rating. **Tootsie was one of the first films classified "PG" in the UK when it was released on April 28, 1983. **Dune was the first PG-13 rated film classified "PG" in the UK when it was released on December 14, 1984. **Films rated "PG" are mainly targeted at older children and teenagers. Movies that are not recommended for young children and recommend caution if viewed by older children are usually never rated any higher than PG. *'15 '- No children under 15 admitted **Similar to the U.S. "R" rating, except those aged 15 and 16 being accompanied by a parent or adult guardian is now optional. **Most films originally rated "AA" were given this rating, while a few others were rated PG. **Red Dawn, America's first PG-13 rated film ever, was classified as "15" when it was released in 1984. **Films rated "15" are usually intended for adults and therefore may not be recommended for children of any age, including teenagers. Either way, anyone at least 15 years old can still view these films. **My Science Project (1985) was the Walt Disney Company's first film to get this rating. However, it is only rated PG in the U.S. *'18 '- No one under 18 admitted **Equivalent to the U.S. "NC-17" rating, despite the fact that most films classified as "18" are actually rated R. **Some films originally rated "X" were given this rating, while others were rated "15". **Ruthless People (1986) was the Walt Disney Company's first film to (originally) get this rating. It then got re-rated "15" in 2002. **The last known PG-13 rated film classified "18" in the UK is The Quest, which was released in 1996. **The very first NC-17 rated film, Henry & June, which was also released in 1990, was classified as "18". 1989-2002 *'12 '- No children under 12 admitted **The first film given this rating was Batman. It was then re-classified "15" when released on VHS in 1990, like most other films. **Memphis Belle (1990) was the first film edited for a PG rating for home video release in 1991. **Flirting (1991) was the first R rated film given a "12" rating before it was re-classified "15" for home video. **Most films rated "12" are usually not recommended for children (under 13) and may recommend caution for teenagers, as some films are really intended for adults. However, despite any of that, anyone at least 12 years old can still view these films. The "12" rating was introduced in August 1989. However, it wasn't introduced yet on home video. Thus, films rated "12" in cinemas were often re-rated "15" when released on video. The "12" rating eventually debuted on video in July 1994. 2002-present As of 2002, the rating system is as follows: Like in many other countries, classification ratings are determined by the following: *'Theme' *'Nudity/Sex' *'Violence' *'Language' *'Horror' *'Drugs' Category:Rating systems